Wrapping machine



Feb. 2s, 1928.

H. Y. ARMSTRONG WRAPPING MACHINE 6 Sheets-Sheet l Feb. 28. 1928.1,660,854

H. Y. ARMSTRONG v WRAPPING MACHINE Filed July 22. 1924 6 Sheets-Sheet 2Feb. 23, 1928.

H. Y. ARMSTRONG WRAPPING MACHINE Filed July 22. 1924 6 Sheets-Sheet 5Feb. 28, 1928.

. H. Y. ARMSTRONG WRAPPING MACHINE Filed July 22.1924

' 10;? I I a 5 (n M l 6 Sheets-Sheet 4 MenfW' #drryy 47/257707? Feb!#26; i928.

H. Y. ARMSTRONG WRAPPING MACHINE In vvfic r.

Feb. 28, 1928.

. H. Y. ARMSTRONG WRAPPING MACHINE.

Filed July 22. 1924 6 Sheets-Sheet 6 '1 wl'llll III) Patented Feb. 28,1928.; I

UNI-TED "ST TE A ENT OFFICE.

HARRY Y. nnm'srnone, or s'ynnousn, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR, BY Mnsn'n'ASSIGN- MENTS, or ONE-HALF; T0 AMERICAN macnmn Ann FOUNDRY COMPANY, Acon- PORATION OF NEW JERSEY.

meme MACHINE.

Application median a2, 1924. serial No. 727,425.

This invention relates to improvements in wrapping machines of the.general type shown in my United States Letters Patent- No. 1,626,379,granted April 26, 1927; and refers more particularly to improvements inthe means forv feeding the wrapper Web in position to be positioned onor assembledwith the article preparatorytothe wrapping operation; tonovel means forcutting' the;

web after the article has been wrapped in and the web is laid and heldon the article;

to a novel guide for guiding the web in its travel toward the wrappingniechanlsm, and

constructed also to serve as a"'guard for severing knife,- the latter.preferablyfifid,

so that said guide becomes'a guide and knife guard at theproper time,where it serves to unsheath the'knife and allow the knife to sever theWeb, and to other and further improvements in-the details of Webfeeding, web wrapping" and. operating mechanism, looking towardsimplification of the mechanism and reducing its cost of construction.

in the drawings showing the essential w parts of one embodiment of thenvention:

Figure l is a. side view of the machine, with parts omitted.

Figure 2 is a top plan view with-parts broken away.

Figure 3 is a plan section showing the,

frame and operating mechanisms.

Figures 4 and 5 are plan views of the pivoted article centeringmechanism for the end tucker blades.

Figure 6 is a. detail of the article feed plunger and its operatingmechanisnr Fig. (i is a detail of the transfer element actuating cam. gFigure l is a detail of the package ejector and its operating mechanism.

Figure .3 is a detail of the web feed.

Figure 9 illustrates the Web severingknife guard and its operating-cam;l igure 10 is a. fragmentary plan view of an adjustable guide for theweb;

Figure 11 is a section on the line .1111 of Figure 10.

Figure 12 is a top plan view of the Web severing knife and the web guideand knife guard.

Figures 13 and liare sectiQn o t e n ferent operative positions.

Figure 15 illustrates parts of the castings 13-13.of Figure 12, with/theparts in difwhich carry one pair of the endfiap folding 'several'stepsof wrapping the article.

As shown in' the drawings, 22 designates theside and end members ofajskeleton base supported on legs 23 having upward extensions 24, saidextensions being connected by cross' members 25, 26, which lattersupport longitudinal side members27.

The article to be wrapped is fed by a feed plunger 31 from a support 30'to the 'receiving end of a verticallyswinging transfer element 32 thatis pivotedon. a shaft 34: to swing at its free end betweenthe plane ofsaid support 30 and the receiving end of a runway 15 over which thewrapped articles are discharged. :Said transfer element is swung on itspivotthrough the agency of a lag; 28hav1ng a roll 29 that travels in acam track 35' of a. cam member 35 fast on a rotatable shaft 36 anddriven by intermeshing gear 50 and pinion 51, the latter fixed to a"nism' consisting of a crank arm 36 fast'to a.

transverse rock shaft 39, the one end of which is fixed to a crank arm41 to which is pivotally connected the rear end of a link 40, the frontend of which is guided on the crank shaft 36, and isprovided with a roll42 which travels in a cane track 41-3 in one face of a cam disc 41 1that 1s fast to said shaft 36. The rear end of said link l0 beingpivoted to the crank arm 41 of the rock shaft 39.. causes the crank arm,38 to give reciprocating movement to the plunger 31.

The article and web are forced onto the transfer element against aspring-pressed. gripper 130, also carried by the transfer element, andwhich serves to hold the-rear, fold to on the article. Said gripper isguided by engagement of its shank 131 with suitable guides 132, 133 onthe transfer element, and is held normally in its rearmost position by aspring 1341 fixed atone end to alug on said shank and at its other endto an upstanding lug on the rear guide bar 132; a stop 131 limiting thetotal rearward movement of said gripper. I

The wrapped articles aredischarged from the transfer element on and overthe runway 45 by a bifurcated pusher (Figures 1, 2 and 7) suspended froma cross shaft 56 that travels at its ends in guides 57 of the upper sideframe bars 27; and said pusher is operated by a link 60 pivoted at oneend to said shaft 56 and at its other end to a crank arm 61 that is faston the shaft 34, said shaft 3-41 having a short crank arm 63 that ispivoted to a link 64 (Figures '1 and 7 )which has a cam roll 65 thattravels in a cam track 66 of a cam 67 fast to said shaft 36, looped tobe guided by said shaft.

The article A is pushed by the plunger 31 from the support 30 onto therear end of the transfer element 32 when the iatter is swung down intothe plane of said support 30, and the moving article carries with it aportion of the web \V that was theretofore draped across the path ofsaid article (Figure 17). The Web TV, in the end of which the articlesare wrapped, is drawn from a reel W carried by the frame and thence overa guide pulley 68 and over a table 69 above' the support 80, where it isguided between laterally adjustable gauges 70 mounted on a right andleft hand screw shaft 71 to adjust the machine to different web Widths(Figures 10 and 11).- A rocking eccentric back stop 72 prevents backwardwithdrawal ofthe wrapper at all times; and a brake bar 73 (Figures 1 and10)' may be employed and operated in'suitable timed relation to the webseverance period to prevent tendency. of the web being drawn forwardduring the severance period. a v i The web is initially trained from thetable 69 beneath a web feed roll 75 carried by the free front end of aswinging arm 76 that is vibrated vertically across the vfront of thesupport 30 (Figure 1) to drape the web" across the path of the articleto be wrapped (Figure 17). The hub 77 of said arm 76 is pivoted to atransverse rock shaft 77, mounted in abracket 77 A link 79 is adjustablypivoted at one end to the slotted end of a crank 80 integral with thehub 77 and has looped guiding engagement at itsother end with the shaft36. Said'link carries a cam roll 81 which travels in a track 82 of a cam83 fast on the shaft 36 to vibrate said lever 76 and carry the web feedroll through the arc indicatedjn Figures 1 and 8, by the full and dottedline positions of the roll 75, in

each rotation of the shaft 36 and therefore in each cycle of operationof the machine.

\Vhen the article passes onto the transfer element, it carries with it aloop of the web end to partly wrap the article therein to produce apartial bottom fold to, a front 110 (Figure 2).

of different length.

fold w and a .top fold w? (Figure 18). There is also produeedin thismovement end flaps w" and lower and upper triangular part flaps 10* and'20, respectively; said tiaps being formed by the faces and the bottomand top edges, respectively, of flap folding blades 85 that are carriedby and move with 26, whereby the pivots can be adjusted towards and awayfrom each other, and the blades 86 are allowed to swing on said pivotsagainst theaction of a restraining spring This gives adjustment forlength.

The blades 85, are fixed at their front ends to brackets 85, 'eachhaving a pair of out wardly extending stems ll l 'that slidingly engageapertures in therear arms of castings 102 in such a manner that theblades and their brackets can be moved towards and from each other andcan be locked to the castings by screws 116. This is'one adjust-mcnt forthe blades 85 for the lengths of articles. Said castings are pivoted attheir front ends on studs 103 which extend through sleeves 103 and thestuds of the castings are adjustably fixed in slotted brackets 120 ofthe machine, whereby the pivot ends of the castings can be adjustedtowards and from each other, in the manner of the pivot studs 87 for theblades 86 to give another adjustment function to articles from eachother, when the transfer element it. at the lowermost part of the arc ofits The rear ends of'the arms'and the blades 85 are spread away movementby engagement of rollers 105 with side cams 106 (Figures 1', 4 and 5)that are fixed to opposite sides of the gear 50, and said blades beginto swing toward each other under the action of the spring 110 (Figure 2)when the/article is moved partially onto the transfer element (Figure5). The mounting castings 102 are supported on and more with thetransfer element. and the transfer element is longitudinally cut. awayto pernii t the gear 50 to extend upwardly therethrough The free ends ofthe blades 85. 86 are swung laterallyin unlsorn through the action ofthe spreading cams 1.06. by means of lugs 107 on the front ends of theblades 86 which overlap and slide vertically along the elongated,upright curved bars 108 fixed to the adjacent ends of the blades 85;the-said lugs andhars cooperating with end to the position indicated inFigure v of the folds 10 over the flaps to,

the 31431018. Compensating gearing may 'ing cams 106 pass gradually awayfrom the the spreading cams and said tensile spring flaps 10 and thetriangular flaps w, are 110 to maintain the free ends of the bladesthrown upwardly against all of the flaps to 85, 86 equally pressedtoward the wrapped produce the final end flaps w of Figure 21 articleends to iron the end flaps thereof by the passage of the opposingtriangular in all positions of adjustment of the pivot flaps w 10through oblique slots 92 formed pins or studs 87 and 103.Equalizingar'ms betweenthe rear oblique edges of the blades 118, fastto. the 'JlVOlJ ends of the Castings 86 and corresponding oblique edges93 of 102, overlap eac other, one carrying an plates 94 which lie in theplanes of the blades eccentric pin 122 which extends through 86 andflank the runway rearwardly beyond a slot in the other. This connection.compels said blades. The side plates 94 of the runequal movement of theblades 55, positively centr'alizes the article on' transfer 'a1'tic1eends until brought into contact with element and. runway when the bladesare side electrically heated hot plates 96 that rise forced toward eachother, from the position from a long transverse bottom hot plate 98,shown in Fig. 5, against the end flaps of 'which'constitute; trough-likeextensions of be the runway, and heat seals the folds and substitutedfor the slotted arm connection. flaps when the wrapper. material is waxThe eccentricity of the pin 122 enables exact paper. i Paste applyingand closing niechacentering of the article to be obtained relanisms m ayobviously be substituted for the tively to Center line of the milChil1heat sealing devices. The i'earmost part 99 After the partially" wrappedarticle has of said bottom, and corresponding portions been'delivered bythe transfer elementand 100 of the side plates are ribbed to chill andthe web partially folded thereon, and with t the sealing wax or paste of-the wrapper the blades 85, 86 spread apart, the spread material.

The side hot plates 96, the said plates rolls of the pivot castings soas o p r- 94, and the side plates 100 are all connected unit the freeends of the flap folding blades. together as lateral symmetrical unitsby eleto move gradually together under the action ments 101 and areadapted to vbe adjusted of the spring 110, and thus cause the bladessimultaneously inwardly or outwardly to press on the'end flaps of thearticle for through the medium of a right and left hand which theIna-Chin is a j d to c e y Set screw 125 whichhas suitable rotativebearing the said flaps .on the articleends. Stops 113 in the main fr meand engages nuts 126 adjustably fitted b0 transfer member 32 movablewith aid units and is turned by a by the slots shown in Figure 2 limitthe total h nd wh el 126. Springs back the plates 9% iIIWEIICl movementof Said i g 102 i and hot plates 95'to resiliently hold the end eachadjustment o sa d s ep I flaps against the article while being guidedWhen the tree or rear-end of the transfer d l l .l element and thepartially wrapped article, I o ratio the and {lap folding blades thereonfi g upwardly, the triangular 85 86 are swung away from each other asHELPS g are folded 0 y he the articles'are moved from the support 30flap 'fO d g blades 8 toward h article to the transfer element, suchspreading being 19 brought about by the spreading cams 106 to constitutea part of the top laps 10% which acting on the rollers 105 of the pivotcastings said top flaps will be completed in the fur- 102 d th ti n f thbars 108 f th ther folding operation by laying thereovcl blades 85 withthe lugs 107 of the blades 86, the triangular flaps w which, during theswinging the latter on their pivot studs 87, raising movement of thetransfer element,- andas the side cams 106 pass away from thepassthrough oblique slots 87 of the folding rollers 105, the spring 110'causes the blades blades 86. When the transfer element is 85, 86, toyieldingly wipe the end flaps to thus lifted, it also pulls the told 70down preliminarily hold them together before over the rear side of thearticle, and the end passing onto the hot plates 96; and by reasonextensions oi said' fold pass through slots of the fact that the jlastlaid bottom told 87, with the triangular flaps w toproduce w" is atrailingfold it will cause the side the configuration of the flaps shownin Figwrapping to be held tight on the article iuitil ure l9.Thereafter, when the partially it reaches the bottom runway 45.

wrapped article ist'orced rearwardly from The web is severed after thehalf bottom the transfer element onto the runway, the fold has beenpinched between the article and depending portion to oi": the web istoldecbthe bottom of the runway (and thereby underneath the article inoverlappedrelation avoid slackening or the wrapper away to the fold w,and at this time the triangular fronr the article) by the stationaryknife 90 flaps w 'are folded, with theend eirtension's at the bottom ofthe runway and normally w" to pro f guarded from contact with the web bya duce the full flapsw l of Figures 20 and 21. transverse web guide andknife guard 140 During this movement also the triangular which normallylies, under the knife 90 flaps w, which were formed between the](Figures 1, 12 and 13) andisadapted at 86 and way hold the end flapstogether and on the v the proper time to be moved rearwardly to exposethe knife so as to cut the web (Figures 9 and 14). If the brake bar beem ployed, it will at this time be moved downwardly to pinch the webbetween it and the plate 69 and thus brake movement of the web-as it isbeing severed. Said guide and frame bar 22 (Figure 1). .The forward end,

of the link has-thereon a cam roll 150 en gaging with a cam track 151 ina cam 152 fast on the shaft 36 exterior, to the frame bar i 22. The cam152 is adapted to be angularly adjusted on the shaft 36"by theset screw152 so as to' vary the time of throw of the guide and knife guard barand thereby regulate the width of the last half bottom fold 'w" and theamount of its overlap on the first half bottom fold 10. Likewise, theslotted connection of the link or-bar -79 to the crank arm 80 of theroll carryingarm 76 permits of adjustment'which will vary theextent oflap-of the first bottom half fold to on the.

article and toadjust for diilerent width articles.

It will thus be understood that Figure 1 shows the parts in positionwith an article partially side and end wrapped preparatory to forcing iton the runway to complete side and endwrapping and that the knife .will'not be uncoveredto sever the web until after the last bottom half fold'w is pinched between the article and the bottom of the runway. It willalso be understood that before the web is severed the roll 75 is movingdown to carry a loop of the web across the support 30, so that the webis not only drawn tightly 'on the article, but additional weblengthisbeing drawn from the roll W. When the Web is-severed by theknife the roll 75 will straighten the free end of the web to theposition shown in Figure 17; the lowest dotted circle in Figure 1denoting the end of the throw of said web feed roll; and the descendingtransfer element will complete.

I said drape.

It will also be noted that the article and web are fed in threestages,-the first by the plunger 31 to move the article and a loop ofthe web onto the transfer element 32; the second when the free end ofthe transfer element is lifted to the plane of the runway, and the thirdwhen the pusher" forces the article and web onto and over the runway;and that during all this time the article is being wrapped in the freeend of the web. Practically the entire.circumferential wrapping iseffected before the severance of the web, and the end flap folding ispartly completed after the severance of said web.

ee oeea articles of considerably varying dimensions H and contours. I

It will be furthermore observed that the difierent elements of the sideand end folding elements may be made as standard or stock parts to beadapted to a standard frame and that adjustment of said elements can bemade within or relative to each other and the frameto adapt a singlemachine" to wrappingarticles of widely varying dimensions, withinlimits.

In the construction shown,-it will be noted that the severingknifeextends transversely across the width of the runway. and is fixed to theenterin tute the receiving portion of the runway bottom end, as in theposition shown in Figure 13. This disposition of the parts isadvantageous inasmuch as it constitutes avery compact assembly ofthe'parts and provides it simple way of entering :the, partially wrappedpackage onto the runway to finish the trailing fold Q09 of the web endbeneath the article so as to prevent the wrapperfrom slacking away fromthe article after the severance of the web takes place and main-' tainsa smooth'circumferentially wrapped end thereof so as to constias irelative to the knife edge to unsheath the latter for severingoperation.

*2. In combination, means to move a web, a knife in position to seversaid web, a web guide bar normally sheathing said knife, and means formoving said bar transversely relative to said knife to unshcath thesame.

3. In combination, means for moving a web to be severed, a fixed knifehaving an edge in position to sever said web trans versely as it ismoved past the same, a web guide bar normall extending longitudinally ofand at its gui ing edge laterally beyond the cutting edge of the knife,and means to sheath said 'bar laterally away from said cutting edge.

1. In combination, means for moving a web, a knife having an edge inposition to sever said web as it moves past the same, a web guide barnormally sheathing said edge,

and means to operate said bar'between sheathing and unsheathingpositions.

5. In combination, means for moving a web, a knife in position to severthe web as it is moved past the same, a web guide bar normally sheathingsaid knife, a swinging arm to support said bar, means to swing said arm,and a cam to control swinging movement 01% said armv 6. In combination,a fixed severin knife, carry said bar and fixed on said shaft, a cam,means for moving a, wrapping material past and opert ve connectionsbetween said last said knife in position to be severed thereby, arm andsaid cam, 10

a bar normally to sheath said knife, and In witness'whereof I claim theforegoing means to shift said bar relative to said as my invention, Ihereunto append my sigknife comprising a rocking crank arm, a. naturethis 14th day of July, 1924; shaft to vghich said arm is fixed, an anntoHARRY Y. ARMSTRONG.

